Why would I be honest with you'
by RainbowPlane
Summary: Makino Saeki, a first year, switched schools in the middle of the year. Now she's a student at Karasuno high. She has heard and seen a lot about the volleyball team while being at her previous school. That's because she was a tactical advisor of the volleyball team there. But why did she leave that school? And why isn't she playing volleyball by herself anymore?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I want to warn you for likely OOC ness, since I'm not good at writing certain characters yet.. Having said that, please enjoy reading!**

My first day at my new school was finally over. I now got the chance to go and see the volleyball team. Without them noticing me of course. I didn't want them to find out about me, they might recognise me from the tournament. And I didn't feel like explaining anything. So I went to sit at the second floor, on the balcony. I figures out this was the best place to stay unnoticed a long time ago. No one ever looks up, especially not at the corners. Meaning that I was perfectly fine there. Or so I thought. After a while the girls team came in as well. They seemed to have joined practice. I hid a bit more, since the girls would definitely recognise me when they saw me.

I thought I saw the girls captain looking up for a moment, but that must have been my imagination. Practice was close to being over when someone behind me touched my shoulder.

I jumped up immediately, surprisingly without making any sound. ''Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that. I was only wondering what you were doing here.'' The guy said. It was Daichi, the boys captain. I didn't even notice him leaving the court. I kept silenced, wondering why I could have missed such a thing.

''You're not really a talker, are you? Or were you perhaps wondering why I didn't ask your name first? I will answer that question for you, the girls team captain told me. Makino Saeki, if I recall correctly. You're the captain of Shiratorizawa's girls team, right? Were you spying on us?'' He asked. ''No and yes.'' I answered him, I couldn't hide my identity anymore, so I might as well clear things up a bit.

''I was indeed spying on you, but it wasn't for Shiratorizawa's sake at all. I am in fact a student from this school now.'' I continued. He looked a bit confused. Which was only natural. ''Really? Why? Shiratorizawa is the strongest power house of this region, and it's unusual to change schools in the middle of the year.'' ''My brother got sick, so I decided to live with my parents again. Which is too far away from Shiratorizawa to still go to school there. Since Karasuno it the closest school I decided to go here.''

''Why haven't you joined our girls team yet then?'' ''I was going to, but not directly after just starting here on this school. I need to get used to this place first.'' ''I see, that sounds somewhat logical. But that still doesn't explain why you were spying on us.'' ''I have helped the boys team of my old school with tactical plans, meaning I have studied you guys before. Sitting in the exact same spot I was in just now. I was just interested in seeing your training again, since it was always the most exciting to watch.''

''I didn't know Shiratorizawa played any form of tactical play, interesting. Why don't you come down to meet the team, seeing if you got it right while studying? I think the boys would like to meet the girl who was spying on us as well.'' ''Uhm, are you sure? I don't think everyone would accept a spy like me in their gym. It might be the best for me to go. I have bothered you enough.'' ''No, it will be fine. And it's a good opportunity for you to meet the girls team as well.'' ''Alright then.'' I said. I really didn't want to meet them, but it was the easiest way out. I followed Daichi downstairs.

''Aah, there you are. Wait, who's she?'' Sugawara asked. ''This is Makino Saeki, she's a former member of Shiratorizawa's girls volleyball team. Due to certain circumstances she changed school. For now she's here to meet all of you guys.'' Daichi explained to all of them. ''Yes, I was really interested in all of you, so I decided to watch you from upstairs. But since I have been found out, I'm now standing here.'' ''But I thought you were the ace, and also the captain. You used to be their star player. How could you quit that team so easily?'' One of the female players asked. ''It's personal.'' I simply replied.

I saw one of the boys was looking really creepy at me, after the girl mentioned I was an ace once. ''So, you really were the star player of a power house school?'' That boy asked, it was Kageyama, the 'King of the court'. I knew the real story behind that nickname, but he seemed to have changed a lot during high school.

''That's correct. Why did you ask?'' I responded to him. ''Well, I was hoping you could perhaps spike some of my tosses. I'm really interested in how much a star player is different from the people here.'' ''I'm not sure about it, sorry.'' I tried to reject the offer. ''Please, it won't take long.'' He asked again. I failed. ''Fine then, but only a few.'' ''Really? Thanks. Hinata! Throw us some balls!'' He yelled to the little orange haired boy.

''Why?! I want to spike some of your tosses as well.'' Hinata reacted. ''I won't toss to you now. I might when Makino-san and I are finished.'' Kageyama answered. After than we went to stand in the right positions. And then the first ball came my way.

''Wow, Maki-chan! That was amazing!'' Hinata yelled. ''You are pretty good. As expected from someone who became captain in her first year.'' Kageyama said. I was actually surprised he knew I was just a first year. Although he could have seen me going to class or anything. At the same time the others in the gym just stared at us for a moment. After some time I heard the girls captain saying they were leaving. Then only the boys remained.

''Wait! You are a first year? And the ace!?'' Hinata asked. ''I told you it was possible, Kageyama-kun!'' ''You dumbass, Shiratorizawa has a complete different system than ours. The strongest becomes the ace, and that happened to be Makino-san.'' ''It's still possible. But you really are amazing Maki-chan. Do one more!'' Hinata said to me. ''Thank you Hinata. Kageyama-kun, could you toss me another one?'' I asked. And then we continued for quite a while.

Everything was fine, until I fell after jumping for another spike. ''Maki-chan, are you okay?'' Hinata asked. ''I'm fine. I only lost my balance a bit at the landing. That's all. But I do think it might be a good idea to quit for today. We have been doing this for quite a while now, I'm starting to get tired.'' I said after I got up.

I went to stand at the side of the court. ''Are you sure you haven't hurt anything? You seem to be having a difficult time while walking.'' Kageyama asked. ''I'm fine.'' I responded. ''I just hurt my ankle a bit, it's nothing serious.'' I went to lean against the wall. ''I'm sorry, I mustn't have forced you to join me. It's my fault you have hurt yourself just now.'' He said after standing next to me. ''It's not your fault, it's mine.'' I said to him.

''But you first said you didn't want to, and I still kept asking. I should've just let you. And then you fell. It really is my fault. I only wanted someone talented to spike my tossed.'' ''I didn't just hurt my ankle because I fell just now!'' I started to raise my voice. Some people turned around. ''What do you mean? Were you hurt before?'' ''Isn't that obvious by now? I am indeed injured. That's why I rejected your offer before. But I just couldn't say no to you. You actually looked excited, which is something I thought I would never see from you.''

''Why didn't you say anything?'' ''I didn't want you to know!'' Everyone was looking at us now. Kageyama noticed. ''Let's continue outside. We're disturbing training.'' ''I don't want to continue.'' I reacted. ''Just come with me.''

He grabbed my arm and dragged me outside. He brought me to a bench against the wall on the back of the gym. There he went to sit down. I did the same, I couldn't escape in this situation, so there was no point in trying to.


	2. Chapter 2

''So, what happened?'' ''What do you mean? Nothing happened, I'm just tired.'' ''I know something's wrong. You have hurt your ankle, haven't you?'' ''Yeah, what's the problem? And my ankle isn't any of your concerns.''

''The problem is that you didn't just hurt it.'' ''What's that supposed to mean?'' ''Well, you were once the star member of a powerhouse school team, and now you are just a regular schoolgirl who isn't even a member of the club of her new school. Something's definitely wrong.'' ''Or maybe nothing is wrong at al. I switched schools and I might not be ready to get into a different team. Don't assume anything because of a little detail. You don't know much about me after all.''

''In that case, tell me one thing. Why did you went to see our team then, and even agreed to join some practice? And why did you say than you were going to join the girls team as soon as possible when what you said was the case? Because I don't believe that you just weren't ready.'' ''Really? You don't believe me? Why should I even answer those questions? I don't need to explain anything to you. So If you will excuse me, I need to go home by now, it's starting to get late. Goodbye.''

I stood up and how tried to walk away quickly. But I really hurt my ankle by using it to much. So after the third step I collapsed. Surprisingly Kageyama stood right next to me and caught me.

''Don't push yourself to much, you have overworked your ankle. Please don't try to make it worse.'' He said as he picked me up. ''Put me back down! I Already said that my ankle isn't any of your concerns! And I want to get home, now!'' He stopped walking. ''You can't even walk home in you condition. How are you expecting to get home by yourself? I could carry you back if that's what you want?'' He said with a small grin on his face.

''Just put me down! I don't like it to be carried around.'' ''Okay, on one condition. You tell me exactly what has happened at Shiratorizawa and why you're here now. You can do everything you want after, okay?'' ''I suppose there isn't any way around this, you seem strong enough to carry me for a long time and I definitely do not have the time for that. Okay, I will talk. But promise me you won't tell anyone what I told you. And don't bring it up ever again.'' ''Deal.'' Then he put me back to the exact same spot I was sitting before. ''So, what happened?'' He asked. And I started to tell.

 _''_ _As you know I was once the star player of Shiratorizawa's girls volleyball team. I was the best spiker and I was also great at tactics. I was always thinking about new ways to defeat rivals. I was so good that the boys team asked for assistance while discussing their tactical plays. Even though they don't seem to play any form of tactical play, they are always really busy when it comes to thinking. So I was actually really close to the boys team, and I have studied almost every team which they might got to play. I have even studied you guys. But the girls team was also great. We played even more tactical than the boys, since we had less force. The matched still went well. We managed to go to nationals in the last tournament. And that's where it went wrong. Even though they used the 'Never let the ace do anything unnecessary and dangerous' tactic, I still jumped after a ball which flew a long way out of the court. And I actually managed to set the ball well enough for another teammate to score. But I rolled straight onto the bench, and my ankle smashed onto it with great force. We won the match because of my action, but the costs were high. The doctor told me I couldn't play volleyball for a while, if I continued right then I could damage my ankle even more. So I needed to quit the team. And around that time my little brother got ill. So I decided to go to Karasuno, since it was close by my home.''_

''That's about the whole story? Can I please go now?'' I asked after finishing. ''Wow, that actually is quite a story. So you are good at tactics right? Could you, perhaps, help us out with that?'' ''What do you mean?'' ''Well, could you help us with our tactics, as in discussing what we should do while facing certain opponents. Like what you did with you old schools boys team. I'm sure we could use someone like you.''

''Seriously? First you force me to tell you some shitty life story and then you're asking for my help? Why should I even consider helping you guys?'' ''Isn't that what you want then? I'm sure you haven't given up on volleyball yet, and since you can't play for yourself it's only logical that you want to get involved in some other way. And this seems like a good opportunity to me.'' ''I'm already starting to hate you. Fine, if you can arrange something with the rest of your team I will do it. But only so I can still do something with volleyball and my years of knowledge. And like I said, I kinda hate you.''

''You said you started to hate me, not that you actually did. I will talk to the team and the coach about this soon. Let's get you home for now.'' ''I can take care of that for myself, thank you.'' ''You can't even walk properly now. There is no way I'm letting you go by yourself.'' ''Don't you have a training to participate in or something?'' ''It's fine, I can miss one training. And if you live somewhere nearby, I might get to go back here to finish training.'' ''Fine then, It's a 10 minutes' walk, so you can easily return here on time.'' ''I will inform them I will be taking you home. Please wait here for me.''

Then he sprinted towards the gym, leaving me behind in the darkness. It didn't take long, but I started to feel cold while standing there. He returned. ''Hey, let's get going. Oh, you look kinda cold. Didn't you bring a jacket or something?'' ''No, I haven't planned on staying here till this late.'' ''Here, take this than.'' He handed me his sports jacket.

I didn't want to question him or refuse it, I was too cold for that. We started to walk. I felt the immense pain in my ankle after the first minute, but I tried to keep going without him noticing. It didn't work.

''Are you sure you can walk by yourself? You seem to be in pain.'' He said after he stopped walking. ''Yes, I'm fine. Just keep walking.'' I answered as I started to walk forwards again. He grabbed my arm. ''I'm not convinced about that. Just let me help you. I was the one who told you to spikes some of my tosses. It's my fault that you are in pain right now.'' ''It's not, I was the one who knew about my problem. And I still chose to continue. So don't say you should help me because you wanted me to spike your balls. And leave me alone!''

I stepped forward, a bit too hard, on my hurting ankle. And I fell again. ''Be careful! Why can't you let me help you? You can't get home by yourself in this condition. Here.'' He grabbed my hand and got me back on my feet. I was standing on one foot actually, it hurt too much to stand on both.

''Can you get on my back by yourself? It's the easiest way to get you home fast.'' ''Uhm, can you get down a bit? I can't really jump right now.'' He didn't say anything, he just kneeled a bit more so I could get on. ''So you're finally fine with my help? That's a start.'' ''Ey, The only reason I accept this is because I can't walk right now.'' ''I know.'' He said.

I didn't talk to him for the rest of the way. He knew where I lived after I told him the address, so I didn't need to give him directions or anything. We arrived at the front gate. ''Put me down here.'' I said to him. ''Why, you're not even at the door yet.'' ''Because they will think I have went on a date or anything if you get to the door with me. And I don't want that. Besides, I'm sure I can walk to the door by myself now.'' ''Fine then, I will leave you here. I will talk to the team when I return to training. I will probably tell you the results tomorrow.''

''Okay, Here.'' I gave him his jacket back. ''Goodnight.'' I said. And I started to walk towards the door. I was barely able to walk straight, since my ankle wasn't much better. But I still managed to get to the door. ''Goodnight.'' He said after I arrived at the door. Than he walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

I really didn't want to go to school the next day. I really hurt my ankle bad. And since I couldn't stand on it without being in pain, I needed to walk on crutches for a few days. Because I didn't want anyone to know about my problems, I really didn't want to show up with those things. But as I had no other choice I did went to school.

I tried to avoid anyone of that volleyball club. Though of course that didn't went well. During lunchtime Kageyama stood by the entrance of my class. ''Hey, Makino-san. Can you come here for a second.'' He said. ''Can't you come over here? I'm not really in an position to simply walk towards you.'' I answered while pointing to the crutches next to me.

He had a little shocked expression at first, but then he looked like his almost angry self and walked towards me. ''Sorry, I didn't know it was this bad.'' ''It isn't, my parents are overreacting.''

''I see, so about what we discussed yesterday. I have talked to the team, they are actually quite positive about you joining us. They said that we could really use such a smart girl who has lots of experience in coming up with special tactics for certain teams. It was asked if you could join us at lunch practice today, like right now. But I'm not sure you can get there now, so I can go there and tell them you can't come right now.''

''I can still get to places you know. That's where the crutches are for after all. So, shall we get going then?'' I grabbed my crutches and stood up. I was used to walking with those things after all, so it didn't take that long to get to the gym. Kageyama was walking behind me the whole time. I thought it was to make sure I didn't fall. He didn't seem to believe my whenever I told him I was fine. It was quite annoying.

''Hello there, I'm back.'' I said happily while standing at the entrance. ''Maki-chan, are you okay?'' Hinata asked as he started to walk towards me. ''Yes, I'm fine, thanks Hinata. So, you guys wanted to see me?'' ''Yes, thanks for coming here. Tanaka, get her a chair.'' Daichi said.

Tanaka got me my chair, it was placed at the side of the gym. After I sat down, everyone stood around me. ''Guys, stop surrounding her like that. Let's get a chair for everyone so it will be less scary for her.'' Daichi said. ''I'm not scared of you, but it would be nice if I didn't have to look up while talking to you guys.'' I reacted. Then they all got themselves a chair and went to sit in a circle around me.

Kageyama sat next to me, he was still so protective. It annoyed me. ''So, you must have heard of my experience as a tactical analyst. I have been analysing opponents ever since I started playing volleyball. Which was a really long time ago. I have been studying the boys high school teams since the start of this year, so I know a lot of them. I have also studied you for a while, therefore I know much about your playstyle and members. If you accept me into the team I will be co-operating with you guys, and your coach, to create tactical plans to win from your opponents.'' I told them.

''Will you go to the girls team when your ankle healed enough?'' Hinata asked. ''Yes, I will. But even then I will try to help you out, even though I might not always have the time. Any other questions?''

''Why didn't you stay at Shiratorizawa? They are an amazing school with great teams.'' Yamaguchi asked. ''Well, it's quite personal, but my little brother is ill. And while I lived close to school there, I couldn't be around him for support. I realised how far away I was from my family, and that I wasn't ready for that. So I returned home and got to a school nearby.'' ''Oh, I'm sorry for asking.'' ''Don't be. It's only logical to have such a question.'' I said.

''Why are you all sitting in a circle? Don't you guys need to train or anything?'' Their coach came in, I couldn't remember his name though. ''Sorry sir, we were just talking to Makino-san, the smart girl from yesterday.'' Sugawara said. ''Really? She's here then, good.''

He walked towards the circle, finally noticing me sitting there. He stuck his hand out. ''I'm Ukai, their coach. Nice to meet you.'' ''Makino Saeki. Thank you sir.'' I said back. ''I'm sure you can be of a great help for us. Can you get here for afternoon practice again? We would have all the time we need to discuss everything there is to discuss. I suppose you need some time to get back, and you probably haven't even eaten yet.'' ''I have no problem with staying here right now, but you might be right it would be the best to talk in the afternoon. I will get going then, it's a long way back.'' I said.

I got up and went towards the door. ''Let me accompany you Makino-san.'' Kageyama said, and he followed me. ''How many times do I have to tell you that I can handle things myself? Look, I even got my crutches, so I can get back perfectly fine. Now if you could excuse me, I was going back to my class.'' And I 'walked' forwards again. Leaving Kageyama and the rest of the team behind.


	4. Chapter 4

I got back that afternoon, and there I discussed lots of things with their coach. I told him a lot about things I figured out while studying those teams and what tactics would work best against them. I was looking forward to work with this team for a while. After training was over I was going to hop home again. ''You're not thinking about walking your way home right?'' Kageyama asked me, I thought I saw some concern in his eyes again.

''No, I'm not. I'm thinking about hopping home, I can't exactly walk right now. And I don't have another choice, my parents aren't at home so they can't pick me up. And even so, I do live nearby.'' I answered as I started to move. ''I won't allow that, sorry. Hinata! Can I borrow your bike for a while? I need to take Makino-san back home.'' He yelled to Hinata.

''Yeah, sure. If you return it in one piece.'' He answered. ''I'm not that clumsy, you dumbass.'' ''Of course you're not. Here are the keys.'' ''Wait a minute, I can get home by myself. Why can't you let me?'' I protested. ''Since it's late and dark, and you can't walk properly. That's why.'' Kageyama said. ''Now come with me so I can take you home. Don't try to oppose me on this. I will bring you home, you don't have a choice.'' ''You sound like a dictator. But fine, I will allow you to help me again.''

Then we both walked towards Hinata's bike. He unlocked it and took it out of the stand. ''Get on.'' He said. I obeyed. ''Hold on tight, I don't want to lose you on the way.'' ''Yes sir.'' He didn't reacted to my kinda sarcastic comment and rode away. Like the previous night we didn't say anything. We arrived pretty fast. ''Are you sure you can take care of yourself from here? Since there isn't anyone at your home to help you right now.'' He said after I got off. ''I keep telling you I'm fine. Stop worrying about me. You don't even know me that well.'' ''Sorry, I just can't stop worrying. I don't really know why myself. I just hope your ankle will get better soon so I don't have any need to worry.'' ''Yeah…'' I dozed off for a moment. ''What's wrong?'' ''Nothing, thank you for taking me home again. Goodnight.'' Then I quickly hopped towards the door and left him behind. He was probably a bit confused, but that wasn't my problem at that moment. My biggest problem was how to get upstairs to my room.

It took me a week to be able to walk without my crutches. I went to their afternoon practices 3 times that week. To observe their playstyle as a team, and from everyone individual. I had a good image of usable tactics by then. The only thing that bothered me was Kageyama. He insisted on taking me home every time. Not that it was a problem to not have to hop my way back. But I didn't want him to become any sort of close to me. Especially since the second time he brought me home. He didn't question my weird behaviour from that night, but I could tell he was still thinking about it. And that made me somewhat uncomfortable. What if he figured out? I didn't want anyone to know such things about me. I guessed I just needed to move on and hope they weren't that smart.

''You can walk properly again now, right? That's some good news, you might get to play volleyball again soon.'' Hinata said to me, as cheerful as ever. ''Yeah, I might. Let's think about that when the time has come. Focus on your training for now.'' I said. ''Okay. Could you perhaps throw us some balls? So I can train my spikes. Kageyama! Can you toss me some balls?'' Hinata yelled to the other end of the gym. ''No Hinata, I'm busy now. Ask someone else!'' Kageyama answered. ''But Sugawara is also busy! And I want to hit some spikes!'' Hinata yelled again. ''Well, that's your problem right? Good luck with that.'' And then he continued his training.

''It seems I don't need your help anymore, since I don't have a setter to accompany me with my training. Sorry.'' He started to walk away. ''Hinata, wait. I can toss some balls for you if you want. I might not be as good as Kageyama, but I will try my best.'' ''Are you sure? Great! Yamaguchi, please throw us some balls!'' Hinata became cheerful again. That's what I like about him, he's such a child.

''Whoa, Maki-chan, you're a great setter. Where have you learned to toss like that? I thought you were a wing spiker.'' Hinata asked surprised, after hitting my first toss. ''Hinata, you dumbass. She's from one of the best schools in Japan. It's only normal to be capable of succeeding in every aspect.'' Kageyama yelled from the other side again. ''She isn't just capable of doing this, she's great. And weren't you busy?'' Hinata yelled back. ''Shut up.''

Then Kageyama went on with his training thing, which seemed to be nothing much. ''Thank you Hinata, but he's right. I did learn to fulfil every position in volleyball. That's what everyone does the first month. Then they decide their exact positions.'' I said to him. ''This wasn't just something you could've leaned in one month. It was way better, like you have been a setter for your whole life.'' ''But since that's not the case, let's stop thinking about something like that and continue. You wanted to hit some spikes, right?'' ''Yeah, sorry. Let's go.'' He said. We continued like this for a long time, until Hinata was finally satisfied with the amount of spikes he had hit. Which were a lot.

''Makino-san, can I speak to you for a moment.'' Kageyama asked after I was done with Hinata. ''Yeah, sure. What's the matter?'' I answered. ''Could you come with me for a moment first?'' ''I don't see a reason why, but if you want to I won't question it straight away.''

I followed him, he walked outside to sit in the exact same place we were a while ago. ''So, what is it you want to talk to me about? In private.'' I asked him. ''Well, I was wondering, could it perhaps be possible that you were originally a setter?'' ''Why are you asking me that? Weren't you the one who said it was normal for me to know how to toss a ball?'' ''Yes, that's true. But I watched you toss for a while, and I believe Hinata was right. You toss like you've done it for years, with some serious talent as well.''

''Like I said before, I wasn't a setter, I was the first year ace of a powerhouse school at the top of Japan. I didn't have the time to be a setter as well.'' ''That might be true, but it could be you were a setter before you went to that school.'' ''You won't give up fast, that's for sure. But that isn't the case. So as long as you don't have anything to prove it with, it's nothing more than a useless theory. Are we done yet?''

''No, there certainly is some evidence. The fact that you are this great is one, and you have also told me another. You said that you managed to set the ball just right in a match at nationals, right? From an almost impossible place. That's only possible if you have lots of experience as a setter.'' ''That still doesn't prove anything, I could've been lucky.'' ''That's true, but you wouldn't have jumped at the ball if you weren't a setter before. I think your instincts got the best of you during that moment. Even though you were the one who everyone was protecting, since you were the star, you still jumped at it. It's a setters instinct to do such a thing. Not a wing spikers.''

''Stop assuming things. If this is all you're going to talk about I will get back. I am not interested in your theories about me.'' ''They aren't just theories, stop hiding things! You are part of a team now, remember. And soon you will be part of the girls team as well! And you can't be a part of a team if you hide everything for them!''

''I will never be part of the girls team, that's for sure. And I am no part from your team! I am an extra, not an actual member. So leave me alone when it comes to my personal stuff! It isn't any of your business!'' Then I stood up and ran away. Towards my home. When I got up I saw Hinata, who was watching us. He didn't look happy at all.


	5. Chapter 5

I ran all the way back home. I didn't even try to get upstairs, since I knew it would take me a long time to get there. But I was prepared for things like this, after last week. I had a futon lying in the living room. I first went to get some ice for my ankle, because I overused it again while running home. But I didn't even got the chance for that. Since there was someone knocking at the door. I walked back towards the door and opened it. And there stood Kageyama, completely worn out.

''What are you doing here?! Didn't I tell you to leave me alone!?'' I yelled at him. ''I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, but if you want to yell at me let me in first. You will disturb the neighbours.'' He said, still out of breath. ''Seriously? That's your problem right now? I think it's more important for you to leave. I'm done talking to you, remember?'' ''Please, just give me one more chance. I just want everything to make sense. And that absolutely isn't the case right now.'' ''No.'' I simply answered as I tried to slam the door.

But he stopped me. I was blown forwards because of the sudden stop, therefore I lost my balance and tried to retrieve it by stepping aside. Which of course was with my wrong ankle, so I fell again. I really hated it to be so helpless. I tried to get up, but it didn't work.

''Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't meant to do that! I only wasn't ready to give up on you yet. Please let me help.'' Kageyama panicked a bit. It made me feel sorry for him. ''Fine then, please take me to the living room. And get me some ice from the freezer.'' ''Okay.'' He said.

He picked me up and brought me into the room. He put me on my futon and then walked towards the kitchen to get me my ice. ''Can I see it for a moment?'' He asked after he returned. I nodded to response. Then he went to sit next to me and gently grabbed my leg. ''I never knew it was this bad, your whole foot is swollen. And it seems some bones are somehow misplaced.''

He continued to examine my ankle for a short time. ''I don't need you to tell me that. And are you almost done? I still don't want you here in my home.'' ''Sorry, but I won't go away so fast.'' He finally put my foot back down and put the ice on the swollen part. ''I still have some questions only you can answer. And I won't go away until you did.'' ''Seriously? Why are you even so concerned about me? It's not like we're friends or anything, we just met a little while ago.'' ''I don't know exactly why, but I do know that I worry about you. Even though I have never really worried like this about anyone. I think I want you to be happy, even while I just met you.''

''I will never become truly happy, that's something you need to give up beforehand. Sorry.'' ''Stop being so negative. Just tell me what happened, the full story this time. I want to understand it.'' ''You won't give up if I refused, right? Fine then, but just leave me alone after! I don't want your help. So, what do you want to know?''

''Well, I would like to know an honest explanation of your setter talent first. Since that's something I still find very confusing.'' ''Well, there isn't much to say about that. Yes, I was originally a setter. But since I was the strongest of the girls team at Shiratorizawa they forced me to become a spiker instead. Of course I didn't like that, I was used to setting and controlling the match after all. But they said that it was the only way for me to remain on the team and play matches. And since my love for volleyball existed of more than just setting, I decided to go along with it. It only seemed that I wasn't completely used to it, which made me make a fatal mistake. Anything else?''

''So you were actually forced to play a different position because you were strong? And what do you mean with fatal mistake? Your ankle will heal again, right?'' ''No, it won't.'' ''But, you are an amazing player. You have a future in the sports world. It can't be like that. Your ankle should heal.'' I tried to hold back my tears after hearing him.

Those were the exact same words I spoke right after hearing the results. ''I'm sorry, the doctors told me my ankle will never be fully healed.'' And there went the first tear. ''I will never be able to play a match again. I destroyed my own volleyball career by jumping after a ball I was never supposed to get.'' ''But in the end that did work out right? Your action let the team win. They should've at least been grateful for that.'' ''The girls maybe. But the coach wasn't happy at all. I wasn't able to play for the team again, they lost their star player. He was angry enough to kick me out of the school, with help of course.''

''Wait, you said it was your decision to leave there. That wasn't the case?'' ''No, I have lied about many things to you. They kicked me out because of my actions. I was forced to tell the story about my sick brother so no one would know the truth.'' ''But why? Why couldn't you stay there? You were still a great tactical analyst.'' ''They were extremely angry at me for disobeying them. And since I was allowed in that school because I was a good player, I didn't have a good reason to be there anymore. They didn't need any other reason than that.''

I looked up to him. And after seeing the expression on his face, a shocked and sad one, tears continued to stream down my face. He seemed unsure about what he was supposed to do, so I helped him a little. I hugged him quite tight and buried my face into his shoulder. It took him a few seconds to react, but then he put his arms around me as well. We stayed like this for a while, until my crying started to stop. ''Sorry for that, I'm fine now.'' I said after releasing him.

''It's fine, I told you I wanted to help, didn't I? I don't know much about things like this, but is doesn't seem a good idea to keep quiet about things like this. It's only hard for you, since you lie about almost everything and keep silent about the things that actually bother you. It doesn't look healthy to me.'' ''Yeah, you're right. I just did what I thought was best to keep going like normal, and that didn't work out well I suppose.''

''What do your parents even think about this? Do they know anything?'' ''No, they don't know anything about my situation right now. To be honest with you, I haven't spoken to them in two years. I lived with my grandmother for about a year, then I left for school, and when I returned she was dead. She left the house to me, so I had a place to stay after school.''

''You sure are full of surprises. You even live here all by yourself? You really are a strong girl.'' ''Not at all, I did break down a little while ago.'' ''I suppose everyone does so at one point, at least that's what I have heard. But you surely stayed strong for a long time. However you don't have to stay like that. I'm sure the whole team will support you if you were honest with them as well. You still are a part of our team after all.'' ''I didn't know you could be this kind. Can I, perhaps, hug you again? I kinda need it right now.'' He didn't say anything at all, he directly put his arms around me again and hold me. ''I guess I need to thank you for not listening to me.'' I half whispered. ''You don't need to thank me for that. It was Hinata's idea to go after you, I will thank him later for that.''


	6. Chapter 6

''It's starting to get late. Don't you need to get home or anything?'' I asked him. ''Do you want me to leave then? I kinda liked it here.'' He said, smiling. ''Well, I don't mind you being here, but I suppose you have parents waiting back home. And you need to get some sleep as well.'' I looked at him. ''And the futon is mine.'' I said to him with a serious face.

''Don't you have a proper bed or anything? And about my parents, they aren't home for a few days. They're visiting some family members in Tokyo.'' ''I do have a bed, upstairs. But I can't get there easily, so I usually sleep here when I'm too tired to get up.'' ''I see, come.'' He suddenly started to move. He stood up and gave me his hand. I grabbed it and he pulled me up.

''What are you doing?'' I asked. ''Taking you upstairs of course, so I can spent the night here. Get on.'' He kneeled down so I could get on his back. I didn't think I had any choice in this, so I went along with it. He carried me onto the stairs and into my room. ''I will be sleeping downstairs then. If you need me, just yell. And tell me if you need to be carried downstairs tomorrow. I want to help you after all.'' Then he put me down onto my bed. ''Thank you for being this stubborn.'' ''Thanks, goodnight.'' ''Goodnight.'' Then he left my room and went downstairs. I managed to change myself pretty quick. And I was fast asleep soon after.

The next morning I woke up later than I wanted. Since I still needed to prepare breakfast and lunch. I tried to get out of bed fast, forgetting in what a terrible state my ankle was again. So I fell down onto my bed immediately. I was looking for the bandages, then I remembered they were all lying downstairs. I tried to get dressed while standing on one leg, which wasn't easy, and I got out of my room.

''Maki-san, is that you? Do you need help with getting down the stairs?'' I heard a familiar voice say. Then I finally remembered everything. I was surprised he was already awake though, he seemed like the type who would wake up ten minutes before he needed to leave.

''Uhm, yes actually. I don't have my bandages here, so I can't stand on my ankle properly.'' ''I will be there right away. I first need to finish this.'' He said. I didn't know what he was doing, but I didn't want to question it either. I would know soon enough. After some moments he came up the stairs. ''I'm sorry for the wait. Let's go.'' Then he picked me up, bridal style this time.

''You could've just brought me my bandages, then I could walk by myself.'' I commented while being carried. ''Well, that might be true. But I actually like carrying you.'' ''You're really weird sometimes.'' We arrived in the living room/kitchen. ''Wait, your cooking?'' ''Not anymore, I finished most things this night. I will get you something to eat.'' He walked towards the kitchen. And came back with breakfast. It was actually quite tasty.

''Could you get me my bandages now? They are at the opposite side of the room, on the little table there.'' I asked and pointed towards them. ''Sure.'' He said, and he stood up to grab them. He returned with them and het went to sit at my feet. ''I can do that myself, you know. I'm not completely helpless.'' I reacted.

He didn't say anything at first, he grabbed my leg and put my feet onto his lap. ''I know that, I just want to do this. Okay?'' he said as he started to bandage my ankle. ''What's with you today? You're so nice and caring. I wasn't expecting that from you at all.'' ''I just want to help you, that's all.'' ''Really, that's all? Still doesn't seem like you.'' ''How do you know what's like me then?'' He asked.

He was finished and went to sit next to me again. ''Well, I have studied your personality, just like anyone else's, so I've got a good image what is 'like you'.'' ''It seems you don't know everything after all then.'' He said. Then he stood up.

''Are you done? Do you need to do anything before we go to school? We could make morning practice. Here, let me help you to get up.'' After he helped I tried to stand on my ankle. It went better than I thought I would. ''You did a great job at bandaging, I stand better than expected.'' ''Thank you. So, are you ready?'' ''Yes, let's go.''

I have never been to morning practice before, I might have been too lazy to get up this early. But it seemed like a good opportunity to study their personalities even more, as people react different in the morning. When we arrived we met Hinata, who just put his bike away.

''Good morning Hinata.'' I said to him. ''Hello Maki-chan. Seems you have cheered up from yesterday, that's good. Did Kageyama help you with that?'' ''He did actually. Thank you for sending him to my place. It really helped me a lot.'' ''You're welcome, I didn't like the not happy you. So I thought he could maybe make you happy again. And it worked. Well done Kageyama.''

''So you were finally good for something, that's a start.'' Kageyama said. ''Ey, that's not a nice thing to say.'' ''Thank you Maki-chan. Can you toss to me today again if he stays so mean?'' ''Of course I can.'' I answered.

We started to walk towards the gym, Hinata kept talking about some show he had seen yesterday. We all had our sport clothing on already, so we didn't need to get changed. We walked straight into the gym, where Daichi and Sugawara were building up already. ''Good morning.'' I said while walking inside.

''Oh, hello Makino-chan. I didn't expect you to be here, you haven't joined us at morning practice before.'' Sugawara said. ''Well, I was interested how you guys are in the morning. Sometimes people are very different at certain times.'' ''You're right there, good to see that you're fine again. We heard that you left after an argument with Kageyama. Was that correct?'' Daichi asked. ''Yes, we had a little problem, but everything is fine now, right Kageyama?'' ''Yes, we talked about it and now we're completely fine.'' Kageyama said.

''That's good to hear. Before I forget, have you been informed about the coming training camp?'' Daichi asked. ''I have only heard something like that was planned, that's all.'' ''Oh, I see. We are going on a training weekend to Tokyo, to participate in the training camp of several great schools from that region. We were wondering if you could come with us, so we can use your tactics in actual games.'' ''Really? That's sounds fun. When will this be?'' ''This weekend, I'm sorry we haven't told you sooner. I understand it if you can't make it on such short notice.'' ''It's fine, I haven't planned anything else. I'm looking forwards to it.''

''You sure? What about your parents? Will they let you?'' ''I'm sure they won't be a problem. So let's start training, shall we?'' ''You don't even train yourself.'' Kageyama commented. ''Ey, that's not nice. You really are mean today. Hinata, I will make sure to give you some tosses today.'' I said. ''Yeey, thanks!'' Hinata jumped in the air from excitement. ''Pff, whatever.'' Kageyama said, then he walked away. Why was he so cranky this morning? Was it because of me?


	7. Chapter 7

I haven't spoken much to Kageyama today, he was busy with his serves during morning practice. But he seemed a bit off. It's normal for him to be a bit mean to Hinata. But not towards me, since he was still so caring and helpful at my home. Was it because there were others nearby? Or did it had anything to do with something I said? I couldn't recall anything I could've done to upset him. Putting that aside, I was going to afternoon practice. Two practices in one day, that's a lot for someone who doesn't even need to train herself. This practice was almost an exact copy of the morning. Kageyama was really busy with serving and I was tossing balls to Hinata since Kageyama wouldn't do so. I decided to talk to him after practice, cause I really needed to know why he was acting like this.

''Kageyama, can I speak to you for a moment?'' I asked him after he came out of the club room. ''No, actually. I'm busy at the moment.'' He answered. He tried to walk past me, but I blocked his way. ''Let me through Maki-san.'' He said, annoyed. ''No, not after I have spoken to you.''

''Since when do you want to speak with me?'' ''Since you have been really cranky all morning, and it's bothering me. I want to know why.'' ''Can't someone have a bad day once in a while?'' ''Of course they can, but not when they were still cheerful the same morning.'' ''Please, don't continue to ask me about this.'' ''I won't stop, you didn't stop either. So why should I?'' ''Because it is your fault.'' That was the exact sentence I was really afraid of.

I kept silenced for a short amount of time. Then I continued. ''Don't I have even more right to know the reason if it was me who caused it? So I can try to correct it. Or at least apologise.'' ''Fine then. I'm mad at you for still keeping your situation a secret to everyone, even after promising to be honest.'' ''Really? That's your problem? Well, I'm sorry for not being ready to just tell anyone.'' I said with a bit sarcasm.

I didn't expect this to be the reason. Especially since I thought he would understand I couldn't simply tell everyone my life story. ''Well, is that all you have to say? Are you even thinking about doing anything about it?'' He asked. ''Really? You actually think it's that easy?'' ''Why wouldn't it be? Honesty can't be that hard.''

''You don't understand a single thing about my situation, do you? I have lived with those lies for a long time now, almost convincing myself that they were true. I can't just walk up to someone and tell them the whole truth. And besides, think about what it will do to those people. They would feel sorry for me, and that will distract them from things that are important to them. I don't want that.''

''Just stop lying, why is that so hard? The results won't be as bad as you think. You have a whole team counting on you, you're their brain. Don't you understand what it does to the team when you keep hiding things from them? They will never be able to be functioning at full strength.'' ''You're only thinking about volleyball and winning! You didn't even listen to me at all! I can't 'just tell them', I'm way too deep into this lies. It has become my reality, my life. I can't just change that because someone told me to! It needs time!'' I tried to hold back my tears.

''But thank you for showing me what you really are, an ignorant volleyball freak who only used me to get better. Now I understand why you were so nice to me, you only tried to get me into the team to use me to your advantage! Tell the rest of your team that I quit. And I don't want to speak with you ever again!'' Then I ran away. When I was out of side I started to cry, all the way home.

Kageyama's P.O.V.

''Kageyama, what was that about? Why were you yelling?'' Hinata asked after he walked out of the clubroom. He was still to in shock to answer him. Was that really what she thought about him? That he simply used her to defeat more teams in competitions. ''Kageyama? Are you okay?'' Hinata touched his shoulder. He still didn't react. He actually didn't know why he cared so much for her, he didn't even know if he cared. But there was something about her that motivated him to help her. ''Wait, why are you crying? What happened?'' Then he first reacted. ''I am crying?'' Kageyama asked as he started to touch the tears on his face. Just why did he care?

He decided to apologise to her the next day. Right after Hinata commented about him crying Sugawara came outside. He immediately started to ask him what was wrong and if something happened with Maki. Kageyama actually told him about their fight, what was said in it and what it was about. Sugawara was quite shocked to hear about her situation, but he seemed to understand her better than Kageyama did. Sugawara tried to explain to him that she was thinking about the team all the time. That she didn't want to burden anyone with her problems. And then Kageyama finally started to understand. So now he felt extremely guilty about reacting to her in that way.

He went to her class at lunchtime. He only didn't see her in the classroom. ''Excuse me, do you know where Makino-san is at the moment?'' He asked one of the students in the class. ''Oh, I haven't seen her today. Maybe she's sick.'' The student answered. ''Sick? Well thank you for answering.'' Kageyama said, and walked outside. She didn't seem sick yesterday. Could it be she skipped school because of this? That seemed like the most logical situation, and the best as well. He didn't want to think about the reasons why she wasn't here. So he decided to visit her after school. Hoping she would be calmed down enough to let him in.


	8. Chapter 8

Kageyama actually skipped afternoon training to visit Makino. The main reason was that he couldn't concentrate until he had apologised to her. Since that still was the only thing on his mind. He arrived at her home and knocked on the door. There was no reaction. Even at his second try he didn't even hear a single sound from inside. He tried to open the front door, maybe it wasn't locked. But that didn't work either. Then he walked around the house to try the back door, and to his surprise it wasn't locked. ''Sorry for intruding.'' He said while walking inside. He first checked the kitchen and living room, but she wasn't there. Then he decided to try her room. The room was dark, but he found her curled up under her blanket on the bed. She seemed to be breathing, so he was already really glad.

Makino's P.O.V.

I couldn't face anyone the next morning, so I decided to call in sick. I was afraid that I would burst into tears in the middle of class, since last day really got to me. I didn't have the energy to get up, so I stayed in bed the whole day. Somewhere in the afternoon I heard someone knock at the door. I still didn't want to see anyone so I didn't answer. Then there was a second knock. I still didn't move. When I didn't hear any knocking I thought the person must have given up, but that wasn't the case. Several moments later I heard my back door. I was angry at myself for not locking it. But even then, I still couldn't find the energy to move. So I stayed exactly where I was and hoped the person would go away.

They only didn't go that easily it seemed. I heard them walking up the stairs and even opening the door of my room. At first try, so the person must have known which room was my bedroom. And so far there's only one person who that could be. The person responsible for me being like this.

''Maki-san?'' He asked. ''Go away.'' I answered, with a rather quiet voice. ''I'm really sorry for last night. I totally ignored your feelings and I should have respected you more.'' ''didn't I tell you I never wanted to see you again? I have already made up my mind about this, I have had all day. So please just leave me alone.'' ''No, not until I'm convinced you know I now understand. It wasn't me who got the answers myself. But now I do know how wrong I was about you. You actually did this to protect every one of us. To make sure no one needed to think about anything besides volleyball. And I am grateful for that. But there are some things you just can't do by yourself. And I need you to trust us with those things. Not just me, but every one of us want to help you.''

''So you have finally figured it out then? Good for you, but it won't change my mind.'' ''Why not? Don't you want to get over those things? The only way to do so is by talking, right?'' ''Even when I talked about it, I could never forget it. I could break down again any moment. And even when people say they want to help, they won't be the same as before they knew. And I don't want that, I want all of you to be happy and win matches. And you can't do that if I'm there, getting everyone down. I don't want to be such a burden to such amazing people. So let me go and continue with your life. I can even change school again if it helps you to forget me.''

''But I don't want to forget you. You are such a great girl with an amazing personality. And I care for you, even though I still don't know why exactly. But I could never fully forget about you, so please try to trust us. I promise you it won't influence our results to extremeness. It might be a bit hard for everyone at first, but that doesn't matter if we get up later. We, no, I need you.'' I sat up, turning my head around to face him.

''You're still extremely stubborn, aren't you? I never had anyone to care about me like that. Even while my parents were still here they didn't had much interest about me. You really are a special case.'' A tear rolled down my face. ''You might be right, I can't live on like this. And your option might be better than the alternative.'' ''I hope I will never find out what that alternative is.'' He said as he walked towards me. He went to sit on the bed next to me and put his arms around me. ''I will try to make sure you never will.'' I answered. As I continued to cry with my face buried in his neck.

''Can I stay over again? I don't think I can leave you right now.'' He asked after I finally calmed down. ''Yeah, sure. Are your parents still away?'' I finally let go of him and looked him in the eyes as I answered his question. ''Yes, they will get home tomorrow afternoon. So I should be fine. Do you have something for dinner in the house?'' ''No, I don't have anything at home at the moment, since I didn't leave the house today.'' ''Have you even eaten anything yet?'' I looked away. ''No.'' ''I figured. I will go to the store soon. Is there anything you want in particular?'' ''Chocolate.'' ''You are a perfect example of a girl sometimes.'' ''That might be because I am one.'' I let out a small chuckle. ''Great, you smile again. Now if you will excuse me, I will be going to the store. I will leave the back door open so I can come back in. It might be a good idea for you to take a shower or something while I am away. It will make you feel a bit more energised.'' ''I will, thank you.'' I said, then he left the room.

Taking a shower actually made me a bit relaxed. I got to think things over without getting all emotional. I figured I got another chance to actually become happy, which I haven't been for a long time. I was really grateful for that, and for meeting someone like Kageyama. Even after all those things I said to him last night he still came back to me and tried to help. Although he had some help, he still did came here by himself. And I didn't know why I deserved such a person. But I didn't want to overthink it either. While I was still getting dressed I heard the back door again. He did take quite a long time to get to the store, it was really close by after all. However I was probably overthinking things again, like I always did.

After finishing dressing I went downstairs, he was still unpacking the groceries. He stopped as I walked in. ''Hey there, how are you?'' He asked as he looked at me. ''Much better now, thanks. So, what's for dinner?'' I asked while I got to sit at the dining table. ''I was thinking about making some pork curry, if that's fine with you.'' ''Yes, I like that.'' ''Here's your chocolate, don't eat too much. I don't want you to throw up before dinner.'' He said, then he throw a chocolate bar to me. ''Thanks, I won't.''

Then he started to cook. The only thing I did the whole time was watching him. He seemed to know what he was doing quite well. After he finally finished he came to the table with the food. ''This is really good. How can you be such a great cook?'' I asked after eating some. ''I'm not, this just happens to be one of my favourite dishes. So I learned how to make it. I can't make much more.'' ''Well, I still like it.'' Then we continued eating.

''Will you be having morning practice tomorrow?'' I asked after we finished dinner. ''Yes, since I skipped this days afternoon practice it might be a good idea to go. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. I would understand it if you want to sleep a bit more.'' ''Thanks, but I would like to come with you.'' ''If that's what you want.'' ''Yes, it also seems like a good opportunity to talk to the team. Some of them already know some things, right?'' ''Yes, Hinata and Sugawara already know parts of the story. But you don't need to push yourself. I now understand that you need your time.'' ''I have already taken my time. And you made me understand that it's important to be honest with them, not only for the team. But for me as well.''

''Well, it's your decision after all. Another question, what's in the other rooms upstairs? There are at least two more rooms.'' ''One of them used to be my grandmothers bedroom, it hasn't been used since she died. The other one is like a storage. Which contains lots of useless stuff.'' ''Aa, I see. It's starting to become late, since we will be going to morning practice it's important to sleep early.'' ''Yeah, you're right. I will be going upstairs then, goodnight.'' I said as I stood up. ''Goodnight.'' He said. Then I went to my room.


	9. Chapter 9

Kageyama's P.O.V.

Kageyama was still finishing tomorrow's lunch while he got a call. ''Yes.'' he simply said as he answered the phone. ''Hey, Kageyama-kun. Are you and Maki-chan fine now?'' The person on the phone asked, it was Hinata. ''What do you mean? I haven't told you anything.'' ''I know you went to apologise to her. It was obvious.'' ''Fine then. Yes, we're good again.'' ''You're still at her place.'' ''How do you even know such things?'' Kageyama almost shouted in the phone.

''Don't get mad at me now. You're predictable, that's all. So, can I speak to her for a moment. She isn't picking up her own phone.'' ''You can't, she's busy. But how did you get her number?'' ''Oh, someone's jealous.'' ''I'm not you idiot. I'm just curious.'' ''Yeah, right. I got the number from Sugawara, who's got everyone's number. So I could make sure she was okay. Are you sure I can't speak to her?'' ''I see. Yes, she's too busy to talk at the moment. I can tell her you called if you want to.'' ''What is she even doing?'' ''That's none of your business. Now if that's all you called me for, I'm hanging up. I'm busy as well.''

''So, you're both busy at her home? Exactly what were you doing?'' ''Nothing like that!'' ''Then just tell me! Or I will tell Maki-chan you like her.'' ''I don't!'' ''You only have to tell me.'' ''Fine. She's asleep. I'm downstairs making lunch for tomorrow.'' ''So you are staying over again, interesting.'' ''Again? How the hell can you know so much? You're definitely not smart enough.'' ''Ey, actually I didn't know this for sure. I only had a feeling the time she came to morning practice with you. You guys live to far from each other to walk to school together. So when you did, I became suspicious of this. Thanks for confirming.''

''I'm going to murder you when I see you again.'' ''You won't, Maki-chan would never like you when you murdered one of her friends.'' ''I don't like her in that way!'' ''Yes you do. And stop yelling, you might wake her.'' ''I definitely know for myself I don't like her. So stop saying otherwise.'' ''So you don't know for yourself yet? Well then, it's starting to get late. Goodnight Kageyama-kun.'' ''Hinata, were not done yet.'' Kageyama tried to say, but Hinata hung up before he finished the whole sentence.

Why would Hinata think he liked her that way? Yes, she's nice and pretty, and she knows a lot about volleyball. But he just liked her as a friend, right? Kageyama finished cooking and went to sleep. It only took him quite a while to fall asleep, still thinking about what Hinata said.

Makino's P.O.V.

''Maki-san, wake up. It's already pretty late. If you keep sleeping you will miss morning practice.'' A voice which woke me up said. ''Yes, I will.'' I said sleepy. I got to sit up. I looked at the source of the voice, Kageyama, with barely opened eyes. ''Good morning.'' I said to him. ''Good morning, breakfast is done. So if you get dressed fast we can leave soon. We don't have much time if we want to arrive on time.'' He seemed a bit stressed.

''Relax, even if we're not on time it doesn't really matter right? You just came to pick me up, but I wasn't ready yet. They won't do anything when it's my fault.'' ''Yes, I know. But I would rather be on time.'' ''To win from Hinata? You guys race all the time right?'' ''That's not the reason, I just like to be on time.'' ''Okay, I will hurry. I can continue once you left the room. Bye.'' I sounded a bit blunt there, but he understood the message.

He went back downstairs. I got dressed quickly and went towards the kitchen. ''Here.'' He said as he handed me breakfast. ''Thanks.'' I simply answered. Kageyama packed my lunch as I ate. ''You finished? Have you got everything for school?'' He asked after I put the dishes in the sink. ''I guess so, I can't think of anything I'm missing.'' I answered. ''Have you bandage your ankle?'' ''Yes.'' ''Good, shall we go then?'' ''Okay, let's go.'' I answered. We went out of the door towards the school. I was really nervous, since I needed to tell the team the truth about me today. Secretly I wished I stayed in bed this morning. But that's something I couldn't change anymore.

''You're nervous, aren't you?'' Kageyama asked as we arrived at the gym, we were the first one there. ''Yes.'' I answered, looking down. ''Don't be, everything is going to be fine. They are all nice people, they will understand.'' ''I know that, but I'm still scared. Scared of rejection. I have never been fully honest, besides with you, so I don't really know how to tell them.'' ''Some of them already know everything, so you don't have to worry much. I can help you out as well, since you told me everything before.'' ''Thanks, you really have a kind side.'' ''Thanks, I guess.'' I smiled because of his reaction.

''Smiling again, good. Also, don't listen to Hinata today, he's been kind of annoying.'' ''What? When?'' ''He called me yesterday. Oh, I forgot. I needed to tell you he tried to reach you and that he was worried about you. Since you didn't pick up the phone he called me.'' ''Really? I tried to ignore his calls, I wasn't interested in talking to him. So, what did you tell him?'' ''Well, he called when you were in bed already. First he found out I was at your place, which was an easy guess. He insisted in talking to you, but I kept telling him you were busy.'' He looked around, probably to make sure Hinata wasn't anywhere.

''But after he kept asking for you, I might have told him you were asleep and that I stayed the night. He kept teasing me with that fact, so I hung up. I think he will start this conversation again today.'' ''Aah, so that's why. I will try to ignore him as he starts that subject, not that he will have the time.''

The first person came in, it was Hinata. ''Maki-chan, You're back! Good morning!'' He said, all exited. ''Hey Hinata, good morning.'' I answered smiling. ''Are you planning on talking to the team today? Sugawara has explained some things already, so the rest should be easier for you.'' ''Really? That makes things a bit easier, I guess. Sorry I didn't pick up my phone yesterday.'' ''It's fine, I spoke to Kageyama-kun and he said you were fine.'' ''I heard.'' ''You probably haven't heard everything, like that h-'' ''THAT'S ENOUGH.'' Kageyama yelled. ''Okay, don't get mad. Let's get the place ready for the talking. We need to get some chairs.'' Hinata said.

And he went to work. Kageyama joined him. The next person came in after they were done. ''Hey, what's the meaning of this? Is Makino-chan here?'' It was Sugawara. ''Yes, I am. Sorry for not discussing with you guys when I would do this. I needed it to be done as soon as possible.'' I answered him. ''I understand, I will return to the club room to inform everyone, so you don't have to explain everything.'' ''Thanks Suga-san.'' Then he walked away again.

Then everyone started to get in. Almost everyone asked me if I was alright. When everyone was in, the explaining began. It was really difficult to start, but both Hinata and Sugawara helped me a lot. Kageyama only sat beside me, with his hand on my shoulder to physically support me. Everyone seemed really understanding.


	10. Chapter 10

''So, you were forced to leave? That's even worse than the sick brother story.'' Yamaguchi said after we were done. ''And also left behind by your parents, death grandmother. You sure have some past. It's all a bit too much if you asked me.'' Tsukishima said. ''Well, that might be the reason that nobody asked you.'' Kageyama replied a bit angry. ''Kageyama, that wasn't nice of you as well. I actually understand him, it's quite a lot.'' I said.

''Okay then, let's stop it there. Makino-chan, thanks for being honest with us. It must have been very hard on you to actually tell the truth.'' Daichi said. ''You're welcome, I actually feel much better now.'' ''That's good to hear. Let's get back to volleyball matters now.'' Ukai said. ''We are leaving for the training camp tonight, I expect everyone to be on time. We will arrive in the morning. Now start training.'' ''Yes sir.'' Everyone said, and they went to get everything they needed.

''Makino-chan. Can I speak to you for a moment?'' Ukai asked. ''Yes sir, what is it?'' ''At first I was wondering if you are feeling good enough to come with us, since you have had a rough time.'' ''I'm really fine with that. I actually need something like this to distract me.'' ''Okay, and secondly I wanted to discuss some tactics. So we don't have to rush tomorrow.'' ''Okay.'' I responded. We talked about those things the rest of training. After we were done I arranged with Kageyama that he would pick me up this evening. I didn't really have a choice, so I just let him have what he wanted, again.

I just finished packing as I heard a knock on my door. ''I'm coming!'' I yelled as I went downstairs with my bags. I opened the door. ''Hey, are you ready to go?'' He asked. ''Almost, I only need to grab my spare bandages, then I will be done.'' I answered, I walked into the living room to grab those. After I returned I saw him standing against the door entrance. He almost looked like some model.

''So, are you ready now?'' He asked again. ''Yes, Let's go, shall we?'' I said as I stepped outside. He closed the door and went to walk next to me. It was pretty cold, luckily I was given my own volleyball team sports jacket. ''I can carry your stuff, if you want me to. I don't want you to overwork yourself already.'' ''It's fine, I can also carry my backpack this far without problems. This bag isn't that different.'' I answered. He let out a small groan, but didn't argue with me.

We arrived at the school, half of the team was already there. Including Hinata. He looked a bit odd at us when we arrived, but he didn't say anything. At least not to us. He actually spoke to everyone else as they arrived. He was really behaving weird. When we were about to get on the bus, Hinata finally started to talk to us. What he said didn't make much sense, but it resulted in us being the last to get on.

There were only some seats left, Hinata went to sit next to Tanaka. There were only two seats left now, next to each other, in the back row. Kageyama went to sit at the window first. ''Uhm, is it okay if I sit next to you? There isn't any other seat left.'' I asked him. ''Yeah, fine.'' He answered, he didn't even look at me. He seemed to be focused on Hinata. And I saw why, he was smiling with the most evil smile I ever seen. And I didn't understand why.

Kageyama's/general P.O.V.

'Fuck, what should I do?! Aaaaaaa!' He thought after a while in the bus. Makino has fallen asleep, on his shoulder. He was really panicking about this, he never had a girl sleeping against here before. Looking in front of him, he saw Yamaguchi looking at them. ''What?'' Kageyama asked, almost whispering. Then Tsukishima also turned around.

''I see there's actually someone who accepts you, the king.'' He said. ''Ey, she has just fallen asleep. She probably doesn't even know what she's lying on.'' Kageyama replied annoyed. ''You actually sound disappointed. You like her, don't you?'' Yamaguchi asked. Tsukishima smirked after he finished the sentence. ''No, of course I don't. Not in that way at least. She's just a friend nothing more.'' Kageyama answered. ''Oh, I see. Good luck then.'' Tsukishima said as he turned around again.

''You gave up pretty fast.'' Yamaguchi said after he turned around as well. Soft enough so Kageyama couldn't hear anything he said. ''He doesn't seem to realise himself yet. I'm interested in wasting my time like this.'' ''He looked quite nervous thought. Are you sure he doesn't even know he likes her? It's obvious he does.'' ''Yes, let's leave then to figure it out themselves. I'm sure Makino-chan is smart enough to notice herself.'' ''If she isn't blinded by love at the time as well.'' Yamaguchi commented. And they didn't spoke about it again.


	11. Chapter 11

Makino P.O.V.

''Maki-san, wake up. We're here.'' I heard someone calling me. I was only still to sleepy to actually open my eyes. ''Maki-san, you need to wake up now.'' I opened one eye. My mind slowly came back to reality. ''Alright, I will.'' I said as I sat up. ''Sorry for using you as a pillow, I just fell asleep and didn't notice.'' I apologised to him. ''It's fine, it didn't bother me at all.'' ''Good, shall we go then?'' I asked, I stood up and got out of the bus. I saw Yamaguchi glare at me, I didn't know exactly why.

''Another girl?!'' Someone yelled. Is was a male with blond fluff, which was supposed to be hair, on his head. One of Nekoma's players. ''Seriously? I normally wouldn't mind, but you almost got a whole cheerleading team.'' Another said, this one had black hair and golden eyes. ''This is Makino-chan, she is our new tactical advisor. She has lots of experience when it comes to advising teams on this subject. So we took our chance and got her in.'' Daichi said to the second male.

''I see. Well then, I'm Kuroo Tetsuroo, I'm Nekoma's captain.'' The black haired said as he extended his hand out to me. ''I'm Makino Saeki, nice to meet you.'' I grabbed his hand and shook it. ''So, what type of experience do you have? I have never seen a team with an official tactical advisor before.'' He asked me. ''Well, there are more teams around who have such people. Most of those are also official players, but not every time. I have helped Shiratorizawa's teams with those things, while I was a member of the girls team myself. But I was with the boys most of the time, not only discussing tactics but also training. I have studied every team from that region during that time. So I already have much knowledge on them, which is very helpful to Karasuno right now.''

''Interesting, so you can tell me all their weaknesses, right?'' ''I can, if I want to. But I don't feel like it right now.'' ''That's a shame. So are you also a part of the girls team? And why did you even change school?'' He asked. Kageyama stood beside me. ''That isn't any of your business.'' He said. ''It's fine Kageyama. It was you who told me to be honest from now on.'' He looked still a bit worried, but stepped away again.

''I am not a part of the girls team, and I probably never will. I made a fall at last nationals and injured my ankle. Bad enough so I can most likely never play serious volleyball again. That's also the reason they kicked me out of the school, I wasn't of any use there anymore. And I overstepped their rules.'' ''What rules?'' ''I wasn't allowed to jump at the ball, since I was their star player. I was supposed to be protected by any costs, and to not make risky receives like the one I did.'' ''So they are actually really strict when it comes to such things? Interesting. Well, it was nice to meet you Maki-chan.'' He said, and then moved on to talk with the others.

The first matches started not long after. I was told to just watch the first five or so, so I could get a good impression of the teams and players. Then I could discuss all I've noticed with the team. It went pretty good. I could spot lots of holes in both defence and offence, which were all very helpful. They even started to win some matched, definitely not all, but still some. They were all very enthusiastic about this. I decided to go to the other court to see how things were there. Nekoma was playing against Fukurodani. Fukurodani won the first set. I overheard the players of Nekoma trying to make up a plan.

''Need help?'' I asked as I walked to them. ''Weren't you from Karasuno? Why would you help us?'' A small blonde asked. ''Well, I'm bored, and I like helping people.'' I answered. ''How can you even help us?'' ''Well, I could tell you that in the starting rotation their left side is really weak at receiving. That's something already.'' ''Wait, it is? What else can you tell?'' Kuroo asked. After I pointed out some more things the second set started. And the team actually played much better. They won the second set with a four point difference.

''What are you doing?'' Kageyama asked, their match must have ended already. ''Just playing around.'' I responded. ''Were you helping Nekoma?'' ''Don't get mad about it, I was just bored.'' ''I won't get mad, it's training after all. As long as you don't help them in matches against us it's fine by me.'' ''Good.'' ''Hey Makino-chan! Could you come here for a second? We want to hear your opinion about a strategy we came up with.'' Kuroo asked. ''Yeah sure. I will see you later then.'' I said to Kageyama, and then I joined Nekoma's players again.

The first day went by pretty fast. Before I knew, the last matches were over. Almost everyone went to train things by themselves, or in small groups. ''Hey Makino-chan. Are you a good setter? We could use one.'' Kuroo asked to me. He was together with the captain of Fukurodani. ''I am, I have been a setter during middle school.'' I reacted. ''Really? Could you train with us for now then? There wasn't any other setter who wanted to join, so we could really use your help.'' ''Sure.'' I said. ''Great! I'm Bokuto by the way. You were Makino-chan, right?'' The other captain said. ''Yes, nice to meet you.'' ''Let's get started!'' He said. And we did.

They actually got Tsukishima to join as well. as a good blocker. It was fun to toss to different people again, which was something I haven't done since middle school. Except with Hinata of course, but this was different. ''What's going on here?'' Kageyama entered the gym we were in.

''Hey, Kageyama! Do you want to join as well? We can play a 3 on 3 match then, if we get shrimpy here as well.'' Kuroo said ''I'm not interested, besides, Makino-chan doesn't play matches.'' He reacted. ''Why not? One match should be fine.'' ''Because she's injured. But it's starting to get late, it might be the best for you to go to sleep for now, Makino-chan.'' He said to me. ''I'm perfectly capable to take care of myself, thanks. But it's true I can't play matches, they are too intense for my ankle.'' ''That's a shame, but maybe Kageyama is right. It is starting to become late.'' Kuroo said with a small grin on his face.

''Maki-chan, you can go on ahead! We will clean up here!'' Bokuto said. ''You're never even helping, Bokuto. But he's right, go on ahead.'' Kuroo said. ''Thanks, goodnight everyone. See you tomorrow!'' I said as I started to walk outside. ''Goodnight.'' Everyone said.

Kageyama followed me. ''Didn't you overwork your ankle again? You must have been training with them for a long time.'' He asked when he walked next to me. ''I'm fine, thanks for asking. Tossing isn't that intense, it's mostly standing in one position, I can handle that.'' ''Okay then, but it might be the best for you to take it easy tomorrow.'' ''I would like to decide that for myself then. But thanks for worrying, even when it's really annoying.'' ''Sorry, oh, I seem to have forgotten my kneepads in the gym. Is it okay if I get them now?'' ''Yeah, sure. I will see you again tomorrow. Goodnight.'' ''Sorry. Goodnight Makino-chan.'' Then he ran back. And I went to bed.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning I overslept a bit. I might have been too late for breakfast, and I got into the gym in the middle of the first match of the day. ''Aah, there you are.'' The coach said. ''Sorry, I overslept.'' I responded. ''It's fine, I heard you were still up pretty late last night. And you need you sleep, right?'' ''Yes, thanks. But how are we doing?'' ''Quite well. Most of the players are still a bit sleepy, that gives us the advantage. Considering some of our players are never tired.'' ''That's true. I can already see some improvements in their play as well. It's amazing how much they have grown in one day.'' ''It really is something yes. It's a shame that this already is the last day, they could've learned a lot more here if we got more time.'' ''That's true. But let's use this opportunity to the fullest, we have a whole day left.'' I said.

The day itself went by easily. The first half I assisted the whole time, and the second I only came by at the start. I used the rest of my time helping out different teams. Especially Nekoma, whose captain kept calling me during their matches. It was fun to talk to them and to help them out. It was all over sooner than expected. Before I knew I had my bag in my hand and stood in front of the bus to say goodbye to everyone.

''Goodbye, Maki-chan. It was nice to meet you and to work together. I'm quite jealous Karasuno has such a girl like you. Can't we borrow you for a while?'' Kuroo said to me. ''No, sorry. But I would love to meet you guys again. We might get a chance to work together then.'' I responded. ''That would be great! But could you perhaps give me your nu-'' ''Makino-chan! We need to get on the bus now.'' Kageyama suddenly stood right beside me. ''It's rude to interrupt someone in the middle of their sentence. Can't you wait for a little longer?'' I reacted to Kageyama. ''No, we need to leave, now. Otherwise we will be home really late.'' ''It's fine Maki-chan. We might get another opportunity to speak again. You don't want to be late, right?'' Kuroo said as he put his arm around me. He had a scary looking grin on his face. Kageyama grabbed my arm and pulled me away, towards the bus.

''Let's go.'' He simply said. ''Okay, I will. Don't pull me forwards like that. Bye everyone!'' I said one last time before I got in the bus. I went to sit next to Kageyama again. ''Why were you so rude? They didn't do anything wrong!'' I asked him after the bus drove away. ''Because it was getting late. That's all.'' He responded ''Yeah, right.'' I didn't really believe him, but I stopped questioning him. I fell asleep again.

When we finally got back at the school everyone went home straight away. It was already pretty late and there was still school tomorrow. Kageyama insisted to walk me home again. I stopped arguing about it, since he would still do it, no matter what. It was a quiet walk, until we arrived at my home. ''Well then, goodnight Kageyama-kun.'' I said as I started to walk to the door. ''Makino-chan, wait.'' He said. ''What is it?'' ''I'm sorry.'' I was a bit surprised. ''For what?'' ''For being so rude today. I just..'' He stopped talking. ''It's fine, but why were you like this? I have been wondering this the whole time now.'' ''It's.. Nothing. Goodnight Maki-chan.'' Then he walked away, leaving me confused.

Kageyama seemed quite tense the next day. He was even more irritated by Hinata then usual and he wasn't as focussed. I was afraid I did something wrong the other day. Since he already acted odd then. But I couldn't think of anything. ''Makino-chan? Are you still listening?'' Ukai asked. We were discussing the training camp, talking about used tactics and stuff. ''Uhm, yes.'' I responded. ''Are you okay? You seem to space out a lot today. Have you slept well?'' ''I'm just a little tired, that's all. It's nothing to worry about.'' ''Okay then, but go home on time. We're almost done here, and you need some more sleep.'' ''Okay, I will. So where were we?'' I asked, and we continued the discussion.

I decided to talk to Kageyama after. The discussion took longer than we thought, so training itself was also close to being finished. ''Kageyama, can I speak to you for a moment?'' I asked after I went towards him. ''Uhm, yes.'' He responded, still tense. ''What's up with you today? You seem quite on edge, and you barely focus. I'm starting to worry about you.'' ''Nothing's wrong.'' ''Something definitely is. Just tell me.'' ''It's none of your business. Leave it.''

''No, you never gave up either. So why should I?'' ''Because I don't want to talk to you right now.'' That sentence hurt me a lot. So I did something wrong? ''Why? What did I do?'' He looked shocked after I said that. ''Nothing. You didn't do anything wrong.'' ''But why don't you want to talk to me then? You were there to help me out when I needed someone, even though I didn't thought I needed help. So why can't you trust me to do the same for you?'' I almost started to cry again. ''I'm sorry, but I can't.'' Then he walked away, again. I stood still, staring in space for a while, before I ran home. And I collapsed on my futon, not moving for at least several hours. And crying.


	13. Chapter 13

Until I heard a knock at my door. ''Maki-chan! It's me! Let me in please!'' The voice outside said. I opened the door. There stood the little orange haired boy, smiling like he always did. ''Hey, Hinata. What are you doing here?'' I asked, trying to sound happy. ''I saw you fight with Kageyama, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.'' ''I'm fine, thanks.'' ''You sure? Kageyama didn't seem okay either. So I was really worried.'' ''He wasn't okay the whole day, we were only fighting about the fact that he didn't want to tell me what was wrong.'' ''I knew something wasn't right the whole time, but he seemed even worse after you were gone.'' ''Oh, I didn't know that.'' ''That's why I came here, this can't go on like this.'' ''Like what?'' ''Can I come in for a moment?'' ''Yeah, sure.'' I was a bit confused.

He went to sit in the living room. ''Do you want anything to drink?'' I asked. ''No thanks.'' He responded. I went to sit beside him. ''So, what do you mean with 'like this'?'' I asked. ''You haven't noticed yourself? Why Kageyama reacts like this.'' ''No I haven't, that's why I tried to ask him.'' ''He likes you.'' ''He what?'' ''Likes, as in probably love already.'' ''Why didn't he say anything then?'' ''He definitely isn't the type to tell you easily. But you like him as well, don't you?'' ''Wh-what? Why would you say so?'' ''It's obvious, you care so much about him. And he also cares about you. You two clearly are in love.''

''But why was he acting like this the whole day? Have I done something wrong?'' ''I don't know for sure, but I think he was jealous.'' ''Why would he be jealous.'' ''Well, you became quite close with the boys from other teams. And I think he didn't like that. Especially when Kuroo punt his arm around you.'' ''I see. That does explain everything. But what am I supposed to do now?'' ''Tell him how you feel about him. You will see he feels the same.'' ''I don't know if I can. He clearly said he didn't want to talk to me.'' ''You will be fine. But don't get to touchy when the rest of the team is nearby.'' I smiled. ''I will try not to. When would be a good time? He's probably home by now. Should I call him?'' ''He might still be around. I left training early to see you.'' ''But I can't run anymore at the moment.. I won't be on time.'' ''You will. Come!'' He stood up and grabbed my arm.

''Get on!'' He said after he got his bike. ''Are you sure? I'm taller than you, you know.'' ''I can handle it, let's go now! We might still be on time.'' I got on and he drove away immediately. He suddenly braked hard. Which almost resulted into me falling off. ''Hinata, you dumbass! Watch where you're going!'' The one in front of the bike said. It clearly was Kageyama's voice. ''Sorry! I was in a hurry.'' Hinata said. Kageyama didn't seem to have noticed me yet.

''Be more careful next time.'' He responded. Then Hinata got off, and I looked straight into Kageyama's eyes. ''Wh-what are you doing here?'' He asked me. ''We need to talk.'' I reacted. ''I told you I didn't want to talk to you, right?'' ''Just talk to her! Now! It's important.'' Hinata said. ''This isn't any of your business!'' The other boy said. ''It is! I don't like it when you're both down! So just talk. I'm sure everything will be fine after.'' ''What do you know about it?'' ''Remember the time we talked on the phone. When you were at Maki-chan's place?'' ''Seriously?! That's what you've got to say! Wasn't I clear enough that time?''

''Kageyama! Leave it. I don't know exactly what that phone call was about, but I got a feeling.'' I yelled in between. ''You're feeling is probably right.'' Hinata responded. ''Hinata!'' Kageyama simply yelled. ''I said leave him! Hinata, why don't you go home? I think I can handle this myself now.'' I got of the bike. ''If you say so. See you tomorrow then! And good luck!'' Then Hinata got back onto his bike and drove off.

''You sure don't give up easily. But don't believe what he said to you.'' Kageyama said. ''Why not?! I actually want to believe him!'' I sounded very emotional. ''What do you mean? What did he even say?'' ''He said you liked me. A lot.'' I saw his cheeks turn red, maybe I did have a chance.

''He did?'' Was his simple response. He actually looked flustered. I did like this side of him. ''Yes, that's what he told me. He also said that you probably acted like this today because you were jealous.'' ''Didn't I say you shouldn't believe everything he said?'' ''Didn't I say I want to believe him?'' ''Wait, does that mean you-?'' He stopped in the middle of the sentence. ''Yes, I also like you. More than I thought.'' ''Really? I guess I have to tell you my true feelings as well then. I might be interested in you as well.'' ''Might be interested? If I look at how protective you are towards me I think it's more than 'might be interested.''

''Yeah, you're right. I-I also like you.'' ''Great! Does that make us a couple then?'' ''I suppose so.'' ''Yeey, so.. What now?'' ''I could stop by your home so we can hang there or something. If you want that.'' ''Yes, I would like that. But don't you need to get home or anything?'' ''I can call my parents and say I stay over, by a friend.'' ''So you 're planning on spending the night again?'' ''Is that a problem? It will get to late to go home, so I supposed I could sleep over.'' ''It's fine. Let's go then.'' Then we started to walk to my home. He seemed to be trying to hold my hand, but he was too scared to actually do so. So I helped him by grabbing his first. Getting a small smile from him in return.

''We still need to talk though.'' I said to him after we said down in the living room, on the futon which hasn't moved since last time. ''About what?'' He asked me. ''Well, we still haven't talked about your jealousy towards others.'' ''Is it a problem? I just want you for myself. And he clearly had other intensions.'' ''You do realise that he was probably nagging you, right? I saw a scary looking grin on his face while doing so. I didn't understand back then, but I think he was just trying to annoy you.'' ''You sure?'' ''Pretty sure, Hinata told me it was quite obvious how you acted. I only didn't see, probably because I felt like this as well.'' ''I'm sorry for being this possessive.'' ''It's fine, it's actually kinda flattering. But don't overdo it.'' ''I won't.'' We spent the rest of the evening literately hanging against each other. Me lying my head on his shoulder while his arm was around me. I even fell asleep like this. And so did he.


	14. Chapter 14

''Saeki-chan, wake up! We don't have much time left.'' I opened my eyes. Saeki-chan? I haven't heard someone using that name for a long time. I was also wondering where I was. It didn't seem like I was in my room. I looked around, I was in the living room, on the futon. When I looked next to me I saw Kageyama standing beside me. Then I realised what happened last night.

''Just five more minutes.'' I responded as I turned around. ''I already gave you five more minutes. Breakfast is ready as well. Or do you want me to leave you here?'' ''Okay, I will get up. Did we actually fall asleep here?'' ''I suppose so. Not that it's a bad thing. But here, eat.'' He gave me my breakfast. ''Can't you come and live here? You sure are a good cook.'' ''I guess my parents wouldn't agree on that, so no. And I don't think I will survive living in one house with you.'' ''Ey, I'm sure I'm great to live with.'' ''Yeah right. Just finish your breakfast and change your clothes. We're going to be late.'' ''Yes, Tobio-chan.'' ''Don't call me like that.'' ''I like to call you like that, so I will.'' I finished my food and got ready for school. Well, for morning practice.

''Maki-chan! Kageyama-kun!'' Hinata yelled to us as we arrived at school. ''Hey Hinata, good morning!'' I responded to him. ''So…. How did it go last night?'' He asked. ''Isn't that obvious, you dumbass.'' Tobio said to Hinata. ''Ey, Tobio-chan! I told you to be nicer to Hinata, didn't I?'' ''Yes, sorry Saeki-chan.'' He simply reacted. ''First names huh? So you two are together then? Great!'' Hinata said. ''Thanks Hinata, we probably weren't going to be together if you weren't here. I'm grateful for that.'' I said to him. I

looked at Tobio, trying to get him to thank Hinata as well. When he didn't I kicked his leg. ''What?'' He asked me. ''What do you think? Thank him, now.'' I reacted. ''Uhm, th-thanks.'' He said to Hinata. ''You're welcome.'' Hinata said smiling. Then we went inside the gym. We both didn't want to make an announcement or anything, but Hinata excitingly told everyone. Which resulted into everyone congratulating us. Most of them commenting about how they knew already. Then training went on as usual.

''The spring high tournament is getting closer, right?'' I asked Tobio. He came back to my house after training again. He did this at least twice a week, even spending the night half of the time. ''It is, why are you asking?'' He responded. ''Well, I think it's time to discuss how we're going to communicate during the matches. Since I can't be on the court with you.''

''Why not? They're three people allowed on the bench, and I'm sure no one would mind if you became the third.'' ''They might not be bothered by it, but I don't want to. I want to keep me helping you guys a secret. I don't want to be confronted by my old school about it. Those guys are really scary, you know.'' ''We can protect you from them. You're ours now.'' ''I still don't want to. So I was thinking about developing a hand sign language so we could communicate while I'm not directly there. I will be sitting upstairs in the audience. If I meet someone who recognise me there, I could say I was just interested.''

''Wouldn't they notice if I looked up all the time?'' ''You don't need to, not all the time. Maybe only right after a point is scored, that's the time when it's least possible for you to be noticed. Just look quickly if I sign something, you don't need to do anything besides translating the signs and use the information. I can see it in your play if you agree on the things I said, which you don't need to do all the time. I believe this is the best way to do this, and the safest.'' ''If you say so.'' ''Great! Let's get started then.'' I said as I got to grab some papers.

We discussed different signs and their meanings all evening, until he needed to get home. ''I will make sure to finish them soon! So you can start to learn them.'' I said to him as he stepped outside. ''Don't push yourself to much. It's fine if you haven't finished them yet tomorrow.'' ''I didn't say I was going to be finished then.'' ''You were planning to. I know you were. But you need to sleep for now.'' ''Why do you know me this well?'' ''Because you're my girlfriend, why else?'' He said with a smirk on his face. I stepped forwards and kissed him on his cheek. ''Goodnight.'' I said. ''Yeah, goodnight.'' He said while blushing. Then I walked inside and he left.

Tobio came by again the next day. And I actually did finish the signs, so we could study them together. As we were busy he suddenly asked me something. ''Do you actually pay your own bills?'' Was his sudden question. ''No, I don't. Why are you asking?'' I responded. ''Well, I suppose you need to pay for the light and gas you use here. And I was wondering how you did it, since you don't make money yourself.'' ''I have never thought about it much. I've never seen a bill getting here in all the time I live in the house. And I never had any trouble either. So I suppose someone else pays them or something. I really don't know.''

''Could it perhaps be your parents? There has to be someone paying. Can't you try and figure out where those bills are sent to? You might be capable to figure out where your parents are by that.'' ''I suppose so. I will try to figure it out. I have been wondering where they are for a long time. I guess I really do miss them.'' Tobio put his arm around me. ''It's only natural. They're your parents after all.'' He said to me softly. ''They are the only family I've left. And I don't even know where they are.'' I started to let go some tears. Tobio's grip tightened.

''You might get in touch with them again. And you're not alone, the whole team sees you as family, I certainly do.'' ''Thanks. I will make sure to let you know when I found something.'' Tobio left about an hour later. Making sure I was okay first.


	15. Chapter 15

Before I knew the spring high tournament was about to start. We studied the signs several nights together. The team agreed to use this method of communication, understanding why I didn't want to be noticed by people. I didn't even went there with the team. I went together with someone of the neighbourhood society Ukai knew. After arriving I got myself a nice spot which allowed me to watch the court and the entrance of the second floor. I really didn't want to bump into someone I knew. The first game went perfectly fine, I only signed two times in the whole match, because they didn't need any more advice. The second game was not that simple. But everything still went fine, until someone tapped my shoulder.

Kageyama's P.O.V.

Kageyama looked up again to see if Makino made any changes in their tactics. This sure was a difficult match to win. But they still managed to get a five points difference. He expected to see Makino signing something again, since it has been a while since the last change. But he could barely see her, not because she was sitting down, but because there were two people standing around her. One blocking his view. And Kageyama knew something was wrong. After looking again he saw from which school they were, which was even worse than he thought. They were from Shiratorizawa.

''Kageyama! It's your turn to serve!'' Hinata yelled to him. Then he made his choice. We went to serve the ball, but he only didn't intent to hit the court. He targeted the back of the boys head who stood right in front of Makino. And he did hit him. ''What the hell was that?!'' Hinata yelled to him. ''That sure was an amazing miss, as expected from the king.'' Tsukishima said. In the main time the other team was talking about something, then one of them went towards their coach who then went to someone else. And that someone called Ukai. After talking for some time the seemed to agree on something.

''Kageyama! Over here! Now!'' Ukai yelled towards Kageyama. He obeyed. ''What the hell was that?!'' Ukai asked him. ''It was just a miss. Nothing special.'' Was his only response. ''That definitely wasn't a normal miss. They accuse you from hitting that guy on purpose, and I think I believe them.'' ''I'm sorry, it might have been my intention.''

''And why?'' ''That boy was bothering Saeki-chan, together with someone else. And they were from Shiratorizawa. I couldn't do nothing.'' ''Aah, I see. Well, I'm not saying you were right, but I understand your reason. But the other team has requested to get you out of the game, and I can't refuse it. Sorry.'' ''I understand. Is it okay if I go to Saeki-chan right now? Since I won't be playing in the rest of the match.'' ''You can, but don't ever do such a thing again, okay?'' ''I won't.'' Then he ran off. To Saeki.

Makino's P.O.V

''We didn't expect to see you here.'' The person tapping my shoulder said. I turned around. There stood two players of Shiratorizawa, I recognised both. ''Yeah, I thought you quit volleyball. What are you doing here?'' The other said. ''Can't I still be interested into volleyball when I don't play anymore? I just wanted to see some matches again.'' I responded. I was pretty scared, they wouldn't like it if I told them I was helping out another team.

''Why not go and see the girls matches then? And why this game?'' ''I like the boy's games better. And Karasuno has always been my favourite team to look at. They are the most interesting. ''Right. What school are you in now?'' ''That isn't any of your business. Now leave me alone.'' ''Don't be like this, we are only interested.'' The other said. ''Just leave me alone!'' I almost yelled. And before one of them could react a volleyball came flying to one of their heads.

''What the hell was that?!'' The other asked. The boy who got hit didn't respond at first. But he looked really off. ''Are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse now? You might have gotten a concussion.'' He asked again. ''I-I guess so. What happened?'' The disorientated guy asked. ''Let's go. We need you during the match.'' Then they walked away, not even bothering to say bye to me. When I looked back down on the court I understood what happened. Kageyama got called by Ukai, who didn't seem to be happy. After their talk Kageyama left the court. Moments later he was with me.

''What the hell did you do?!'' I yelled at him as he got by me. ''I protected you, that's all.'' He reacted. ''I told you I didn't need your protection right?! And you wasted a lot of points! I told you they were weak at receiving serves, especially serves like yours. You could've scored at least three points!'' I was really mad at him. ''And you might have given the boy a concussion!'' ''I-I'm sorry. I only wanted to protect you. I didn't even think about anything else at the moment.'' He looked so fragile while saying that.

''Okay, it's fine. But never ever do that again. It can get you banned from the tournament.'' ''I won't.'' ''Good, shall we watch the rest of the game here then? Or do you need to get back downstairs?'' ''I'm banned from this game, so no. But people might notice if I stayed here with you, so it might be the best for me to leave.'' ''I don't want you to leave. I don't care if people notice right now, let's stay here together for this moment.'' I actually did care, and I knew the boys from earlier would talk about me here. But that was exactly the reason I wanted him to stay. I was afraid to confront them by myself.


	16. Chapter 16

Luckily no one came by again. So I could spent the rest of the match with my grumpy boyfriend, who really didn't like it to sit and watch. ''Ey, relax a bit. They're doing great.'' I said to him after he commented about a mistake they made. ''They are making many mistakes. I just can't stand being here and not being capable to do anything about it.'' He said to me.

''You're such a control freak.'' ''I'm not. I just want to play more volleyball. So they need to win this.'' ''Well, it's your fault I can't do anything about it either. Since Sugawara didn't have the time to memorise the signs we use, I can't help them either.'' ''I told you I was sorry.'' ''I know. And it did resulted into spending some more time with you, so it isn't that bad I suppose.'' I might have only said that to make him blush again. I liked his flustered face a lot.

I tried to kiss his cheek again to fluster him even more, but he beat me to it. He grabbed both my cheeks and pressed his lips against mine before I even had a chance to react. We stayed like this for several moments before he pulled away. ''I can make you blush as well, you know?'' He said teasingly. And he was definitely right. ''I know that.'' I simply responded.

''Another thing, how far are you with finding out where your bills go?'' That question totally killed the moment. Which I thought was fine, since I was still flustered from his quick movement. ''I have found an address.'' ''You did? That's great. What are you going to do next?'' ''I have already sent a letter. I planned on telling you after the tournament, so you didn't have to worry about anything except volleyball.''

''Aah, I see. But you don't need to keep this for yourself, I'm not worried or anything about it. What did you write in the letter?'' ''Well, I told them about everything what happened. And I thanked them for paying, even though they might not now the situation.'' ''Do they know about us?'' ''No, it didn't seem relevant, sorry.'' ''It's fine. So, where do they live?'' ''Tokyo.'' ''Really? So you can go and visit them once, right? I think it would be nice for you to see them once in a while, they still are your parents after all.'' ''If the address belongs to them I might. But I don't know for sure yet that they're the ones paying. I'll be waiting for a reply first.'' ''That sounds fair.'' Then we suddenly heard the ending signal of the match below us. Karasuno has won.

''Shall we go downstairs?'' I asked Tobio. ''You sure you want to come as well? Weren't you trying to keep your relationship with us a secret?'' He asked me. ''I don't think that will be possible much longer. So I guess I'm not even going to try anymore.'' ''If that's the decision you make, I will go with it.'' ''Good, let's go then.'' I stood up and grabbed his hand, dragging him along.

''Hey Maki-chan!'' Hinata yelled excited. ''Hinata! We were told not to acknowledge our relationship with her.'' Yamaguchi said. ''It's fine. I don't think I can hide it for much longer. So I might as well be honest about it.'' I responded. ''You sure have changed a lot.'' Sugawara said. ''What do you mean by that?'' I asked him. ''Well, you would've done almost everything to keep this secret before. You've become more honest.'' Daichi said. ''Yes, Kageyama seemed to have had a good influence on you. It almost makes me feel proud.'' Sugawara commented.

''Thanks a lot, all of you. But let's go home, before this gets to emotional.'' I said. ''That might be a good idea. But aren't you going back with someone else?'' Daichi asked. ''No, he left after the first match. He needed to get back to work or something. I was planning on taking the bus back home, but your bus seems like a better plan.'' ''Shall we go then? We still have a long trip ahead.'' Then we headed towards the bus and got in. I fell asleep on Tobio's shoulder soon after we drove off.


	17. Chapter 17

After we got back we had a short team meeting, discussing the whole day. And also discussing tactics for the next. Tobio walked me home again afterwards. When I checked my mailbox I actually found a letter. ''Could it be a response?'' Tobio asked me. ''It's handwritten, so it might be possible. Come inside for a moment.'' I said to him as I walked to the door. He followed without questioning. I opened the letter after we both sat down. After reading it I stopped moving completely.

''Saeki-chan? What's wrong? Don't they want to talk to you anymore or something?'' Tobio asked me. ''No, that's not it. It's quite the opposite.'' I reacted without emotion at all. ''Then what is it? Stop spacing out like that, it's creeping me out.'' ''Here.'' I handed him the letter. He took it from me and started to read. I could see mixed emotions on his face after he was done. ''This is great news, isn't it? They still love you.'' He said to me. ''I know. I only don't know what to do.'' ''You should go, it's a great opportunity. They even say they can might do something about your ankle.'' ''But I don't want to leave. I love this school, this team, and you.'' I saw him stop moving for a moment. He seemed to be deep in thoughts.

''Tobio?'' I asked him. ''I-I'm sorry Maki-chan, I didn't want to bring this up yet.'' ''What do you mean? And why are you calling me like that?'' I got really scared at that moment. Was it only because I said I loved him? ''I came to realise something in the past days.'' I was on the brink of crying after that sentence. ''I don't think I really like you that way. I guess I mostly felt pity towards you. For being injured like that. I suppose that was why I kept protecting you all the time.'' I really tried to hold back my tears then.

''A-are you b-breaking up with m-me?'' I tried to ask him. ''Yes, I'm so sorry. I know this isn't the right time, but hearing you made me realise I couldn't wait much longer.'' ''I-I see. I suppose this means I will be heading to Tokyo soon then.'' ''I suppose so. Please don't be to down about this. Think of it as an opportunity to live a better life. A live I couldn't have given to you.'' ''Please leave. Don't try to make me feel better now. Just leave me alone.'' ''I'm sorry, I will.'' Then he stood up and got to the door. I waited till he closed the door before I completely broke down. Crying for more than an hour.

After I calmed down a bit I called my parents. They left a phone number on the letter, asking me to call as soon as possible. They told me they've spoken to a doctor who might be able to restore my ankle completely, so I could play volleyball again. They had written that they might knew someone who could help a bit, but not that there actually was someone. I arranged with them that I would be leaving here in three days. Giving me some time to say goodbye to the people I've met here. My mother thought to be hearing something weird in my voice, which I tried to hide. I managed to convince her it was just a cold. After we talked everything through, we decided to call again in two days. Then I hung up. Getting back into my depressing mood.

I only didn't have much time to cry again, since my phone rang again. I tried to ignore it, but I figured I couldn't as he rang a second time. I didn't even bother to look who it was. ''Hey, Maki-chan! Are you okay?'' It was Hinata, who sounded as cheerful as ever. ''Yes, why wouldn't I?'' I tried to sound as happy as I could, not wanting to bother him. ''I ran into Kageyama-kun while getting home, I stayed to practice a bit, and he didn't seem happy. Did something happen between the two of you?'' ''It's nothing. Don't worry about it.'' ''I do worry, a lot. Please tell me. Oh, and open the door.'' He said.

I didn't understand, not until I heard a knock at my door. When I opened it I saw Hinata standing there, with a bag in his hand. ''Can I come in?'' He asked. ''I don't think I can refuse now.'' I said as I stepped aside. He went to the living room almost straight away. I went to sit next to him, still not knowing how to tell him.

''So, what happened?'' He asked. ''H-he broke up with me.'' I tried to hold back my tears again, without success. ''I thought so. Here.'' He gave me the bag he was carrying. There was a bunch of chocolate bars inside. ''Girls need chocolate when they're feeling down, right?'' He asked. ''T-thanks Hinata. But how did you know?'' ''Kageyama's face said everything.'' ''Oh. But it's not all.'' I said. ''I'm also leaving, to Tokyo.'' ''Y-you are? When did you decide that?'' ''At almost the same time. That's why he broke up with me now, he said he wanted to for a while, but couldn't find the right time. I got a letter from my parents asking me to move to them. They even said they could find me a good doctor to perhaps heal my ankle a bit more.'' ''And he broke up with you after knowing this?'' ''Yes, he did.''

''Okay then. But don't be sad about it! You'll probably meet many nice people there. I can contact Kozume for you if you want. Since he lives in Tokyo as well! You might become friends with them.'' Hinata said, trying to distract me. ''That won't be necessary, I will take care of my own.'' ''No, you won't. You're just like Kageyama when it comes to this. Just accept help more often. I'm going to message Kozume, and give him your number as well. So you have at least one contact nearby. I don't want you to be lonely.'' ''I- Thanks I guess.''

''Are you still coming to the tournament tomorrow?'' ''I suppose so, I do need to say goodbye to the whole team. I'm planning on doing so at the end of the day.'' ''I thought so. So are you fine with working with Kageyama for one more day? After he dumped you?'' ''I will try my best. We won't be communicating verbally, so that's a plus. But I want to make my last day a good one. And I won't let anything stand in my way.'' ''Great! That's the Maki-chan I like to see. Are you going to be fine on your own tonight? I think I need to get home soon.'' ''I will. I promise. I won't promise any chocolate will survive though.'' ''That's what I expected. Well then, you seem to be happier now. So I think I can go.'' Hinata stood up.

''See you tomorrow!'' He said, then he walked outside the room. Closing the door of my house moments later. And that short moment did make me feel a lot better. I could even sleep peacefully.


	18. Chapter 18

''May I ask what's going to happen with you now? Or should I just leave you alone?'' Kageyama asked me after I got to the school. ''It's fine, we still need to work together today as well. I will be leaving in two days. So I was planning to say my goodbyes after today's matches.'' ''I see.'' Was his simple response. Then we didn't speak anymore, for the whole day.

The games themselves went great, them winning both again. I sat next to Hinata both the way towards as the way back. Getting some strange looks from the rest of the team. I didn't bother to explain, I was going to after we returned. After the regular team meeting at school I spoke up. ''I have something to say to all of you.'' I went to stand in front of them. Almost everyone was looking at me, everyone except Kageyama.

''I will be leaving you guys very soon.'' ''Why?'' Sugawara asked a bit shocked. ''Well, I got in contact with my parents again. And they asked me to move in with them again. And I decided to do so.'' ''Your parents? Where do they live then?'' ''Tokyo. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I only decided yesterday.'' ''I understand. Even though you really are a great person to have here, family is more important. I'm sure everyone here will miss you.'' Daichi said. ''Thank you. This probably is the last time I will see you, so goodbye. And win even more than you already did.'' I kept myself from crying again. I started to walk to the door. ''Goodbye!'' Several members yelled. And then I was gone. Getting my stuff ready to go. I had still loads of work to do.

Kageyama' P.O.V.

''Why aren't you following your girlfriend?'' Tsukishima asked Kageyama after Makino left. ''She isn't my girlfriend anymore. I broke up with her yesterday.'' He responded. ''You did? Was that before or after she decided to leave?'' ''Before, but that isn't any of your business.'' Kageyama started to get mad. ''Kageyama-kun did it because he loved Maki-chan.'' Hinata commented. ''Wait what?'' Kageyama asked confused. How could he have known any of his reasons?

''I know why you did it. I spoke to Maki-chan after. You broke up with her so that she could move there and get a chance to play volleyball again, didn't you?'' Kageyama was shocked to hear that. ''No, of course not! I just didn't feel anything romantic for her anymore. I was planning to break up with her for a while now, but I never found the right time.'' ''We both know that isn't true. But if you keep saying so, I won't stop you. Just remember I know you actually do have a heart.'' ''Of course I do! Everyone does. But are we done on this subject now?'' Kageyama was really irritated after hearing Hinata talk like that. ''Yes, of course.''

''Let's go home for now. Everyone is tired from today's games.'' Sugawara said, as he tried to stop them before someone could get hurt. He knew they would keep continuing, even after saying they won't. Everyone left, thinking about everything what happened that day when they walked home. Since it was a lot.

Makino's P.O.V.

The healing of my ankle went better than expected. After several surgeries and some months resting I was capable to get back to some training. And I was playing my first match again after almost a year. I was really happy. Hinata actually did gave my number to Kenma, who on his turn gave it to Kuroo. Which resulted into me hanging out with them on Saturdays. It was really nice to have some people to talk to. I also got along great with the girls of my new team. Even though I still missed Karasuno, I managed to keep myself going. Even returning to the national stage during my third year. As the setter of a great tactical team.

Kageyama's P.O.V.

It still bothered him how he treated Makino. Should he have done it differently? Should he have been more selfish? He kept asking himself that questions the whole time. Until one day at nationals. He went to see one of the girls matches there, since he was interested in how they played. And when he saw Maki smiling there on the court. He knew he made the right decision. He had never seen her this happy ever before.


End file.
